"Where... am I?"
The young man named Rahesa Adinarta was utterly confused to find himself waking up in the middle of a forest. He clearly remembered falling asleep in his dorm room like usual — so why was he here, surrounded by darkness and trees?
Slowly, Hesa got up and looked around. The faint fragrance of flowers drifted through the night air, only making his chills grow worse.
"What's happening to me?"
He forced himself to walk, the cold biting deeper into his skin with every step. After a short distance, he noticed a faint silhouette — someone standing not too far ahead.
"Who the hell wears a hoodie in the middle of the night… in a forest?"
Logically, it made no sense. Still, lost and with no other options, Hesa decided to approach, hoping to ask for directions — or maybe just for help.
Step by step, he moved closer until he was standing face-to-face with the figure.
"E-excuse me," Hesa stammered, "do you know the way out of this forest? I'm lost and I don't even know how I got here."
The hooded figure, who had been staring at a tree, slowly turned toward him.
"Should I tell him the way out — when I'm the one who brought him here?"
Hesa's breath caught. His entire body froze when he saw the figure's face — it was himself.
"Y-you're m— agh!"
The figure didn't give him a chance to finish. Its hand shot forward, gripping Hesa's neck tightly.
"L-let go!" Hesa gasped, hitting the arm that strangled him, though it didn't help.
"Why should I let go of something so precious I just obtained?"
The figure's laughter was sharp, echoing painfully in Hesa's ears as the pressure on his throat grew stronger. His body weakened; his vision blurred.
"I... can't... breathe..."
The last thing he saw was the figure's wide grin before everything went dark.
"Hesa! What are you doing?! Don't hurt yourself— wake up!"
Wait—he wasn't dead? He could still hear that voice.
"Let go of your hands! Stop!"
Slowly, Hesa's eyes fluttered open. The first thing he saw was his friend's worried face hovering over him.
"Thank God… you're awake. You're still alive," his friend said, relief in his tone.
"J-Joan? What are you doing here?" Hesa asked weakly.
"I'll explain later, but first— let go of your hands, please. You're scaring me." Joan was still gripping one of Hesa's arms tightly.
Hesa looked down and froze. His own hands were around his neck — he'd been choking himself in his sleep. Joan must have burst in and tried to stop him.
"You had a nightmare, didn't you?" Joan asked softly.
Still trembling, Hesa nodded. Joan handed him a glass of water, trying to calm him down.
"I came by because we promised to hang out with the others today— and grab some supplies," Joan explained.
"Oh, right… I almost forgot." Hesa slowly set the glass down on the bedside table.
"You still want to come?" Joan asked, worried.
"The nightmare's over. Maybe going out will help clear my head," Hesa replied.
Just then, footsteps approached, and another figure appeared at the door — Jaehyuk, Hesa's dorm mate, classmate, and fellow club member.
"What's going on? I thought I heard shouting," Jaehyuk asked.
Joan, startled, quickly covered it up. "N-no, it's nothing! I just saw Jerry run by."
"The rat? Where'd it go?" Jaehyuk frowned.
"Out already! I chased it away," Joan lied quickly.
"Good," Jaehyuk said, relaxing.
"You're using my kitchen again, huh, Jae?" Hesa teased.
"Yeah, my stove's still on delivery," Jaehyuk replied.
"You don't need to buy a new one. You can use mine anytime."
"Wow, you're being nice today," Jaehyuk smirked, suspicious.
"It's a win-win. You can cook in my kitchen — and cook for me," Hesa grinned.
"You jerk!" Jaehyuk grabbed a pillow and threw it at him.
~~~~~~
A young man walked casually through a mall until he stopped in front of an elevator and pressed the button.
"Why does it feel… off in here?" he muttered.
He looked around — the shops were bustling as usual, people chatting, walking, laughing. Everything seemed normal.
"Must be my imagination," he told himself, forcing a calm breath so he wouldn't look paranoid.
Ding!
The elevator doors opened. He stepped in with a few other people and, being closest to the panel, pressed the button for the 4th floor — he was meeting his friends at a restaurant there.
Ding!
The doors closed again.
But for some reason, he grew more nervous by the second. His heart pounded. Sweat began to form on his palms.
Suddenly, the elevator jolted.
Thud.
"W-what was that?" one of the passengers gasped.
"It's fine, happens sometimes. If there's a problem, we'll get an announcement," another reassured.
Arkha gripped the railing tightly, his breathing uneven. His fear was obvious, and the person next to him noticed.
"Are you okay, sir?" they asked.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Arkha lied.
"Don't worry, the elevator will move again soon," the stranger said kindly.
After a few tense seconds, the elevator resumed its ascent.
Ding!
At the third floor, passengers started stepping out one by one, until only Arkha remained. The last person left, and the doors closed again.
"One more floor…" he whispered, staring anxiously at the glowing numbers on the display.
Ding!
Finally, the doors opened. He exhaled in relief and hurried out toward the restaurant.
When he arrived, his friends were already there.
"Dude, you look pale. What happened?" Setta asked.
"T-there was… an incident," Arkha said.
"What kind of incident?" Jio asked.
"The elevator got stuck. I thought it broke down— thought I was trapped," Arkha replied.
"Well, you're here now, so it's fine," Niki said reassuringly.
"Hm," Arkha mumbled, glancing around. Then he realized something.
"We're missing two people."
"Satya and Hesa aren't here yet," Setta said.
"Hesa was with me earlier, but he said he needed the bathroom first," Joan added.
Moments later, their food arrived.
But no matter how delicious it smelled, Arkha couldn't shake off the uneasiness that still lingered deep inside him.
"Why… why does it still feel like something's wrong? I'm out of the elevator— but it feels like it's not over yet..."